peak hours of a Polar Vortex

The sun is shining bright yet the temperature is running deep! 

I am thankful I have the luxury to stay inside today 

where I am warm and comfortable with everything I need. 

As the sun passed by my front window, I took a few minutes to catch the rays!

We are on the backside of this Polar Vortex, just needing to get through the balance of today and maybe a bit of early tomorrow as it may spill over.  The warmth inside of the sun feels good but I know that bright sunshine without cloud cover makes it colder outside. 

A few years back, I learned about ice orbs and made a few to put on display outside my front door.  They are colourful and add a bright light to bitterly cold days.  I checked my stock of crafty stuff and there were four balloons with a few bottles of food colouring.  I filled the balloons with water and a couple drops of food colouring then placed them on my deck.  They need time to freeze, that should happen quickly these days.

The Conqueror medals seem to arrive in no time al all these past months.  This is my Estrada Real Virtual Challenge medal which arrived on Friday.  It's the first medal for me to have a sparkly piece of glass as the  "O" between the two "R's".  When I opened it in my living room, the sun caught the "O" and it beamed brightly.  

 the backside of the medal shows the route

Last evening not long after dinner, the emergency alert on my phone went off!  The last time I heard it was  this past May while I was staying at a cabin near Nordegg when wildfires were approaching and residents of nearby hamlets and towns were being ordered to evacuate.  Last evening's alert was just as scary but for different reasons.  I immediately did what I was asked to do then looked out my front and back windows. When I saw all the homes go into darkness, I knew we would be OK as long as all others throughout the Province respected this order.  As it turned out, people pitched in and the alert did not last for a long time and no outages were necessary.  

The pile of knitted squares is getting higher!  Time enjoying this craft pairs well with movie time and this pairing pairs well with passing productive time through this Polar Vortex.  Those balls of yarn are the small squares unknitted.  It was too much yarn at too dear of a price to let it go to waste. I will incorporate them into the production of large squares.  

The ice orbs were ready this morning.  I took them inside, peeled the balloons off and then placed them in the bowl to put on display. They look so cheerful and I hope will bring a smile to those that pass by my front door.  

I have made no headway on the Grand Canyon Virtual Challenge since Thursday.  I will see what tomorrow has in store and if all conditions are safe, I will be "out & about" again putting kilometres on my boots or skates.